The present invention relates generally to fuel tanks for vehicles and, more particularly, to a fuel tank cover assembly for a fuel tank of a vehicle.
It is known to provide a fuel tank such as a plastic fuel tank in a vehicle to hold fuel to be used by an engine of the vehicle. In such a fuel tank, a cover is provided for a fuel reservoir. The cover typically has fuel tubes, electrical connector, and rollover valve attached thereto. The cover is made entirely out of a plastic or metal material. Guide rods are welded to the metal cover. The cover may include a return-line guide rod and a secondary device attached to the end of the guide rod to prevent reverse flow of the fuel. This secondary device is typically a rubber xe2x80x9cduckbillxe2x80x9d valve or a plastic valve assembly inserted in the end of the guide rod.
One concern with these fuel tanks is that the guide rods are rigidly attached to the metal cover and under severe impact conditions, the guide rods may damage the cover and sealing surface by tearing a hole in the cover or deforming the cover, resulting in a leak path, by retaining the inertia of the fuel reservoir.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a fuel tank cover assembly for a vehicle that allows the guide rods to break away under severe impact conditions. It is also desirable to provide a fuel tank cover assembly that provides a return line check valve feature with minimal complexity.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide a new fuel tank cover assembly for a fuel tank of a vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fuel tank cover assembly with a separate cover and breakaway guide rods adapted to decouple inertia of the fuel reservoir from the cover.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a fuel tank cover assembly with a check valve to prevent fuel from exiting the fuel tank through the return line.
To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention is a fuel tank cover assembly for a fuel tank of a vehicle including a cover adapted to close an opening in the fuel tank having a fuel reservoir disposed therein, a return guide rod extending from the fuel reservoir toward the cover, and a valve disposed between the cover and the return guide rod to allow one-way flow of fuel from the cover to the fuel reservoir.
One advantage of the present invention is that a fuel tank cover assembly is provided for fuel tank of a vehicle includes a valve at the cover with guide rods designed to break away. Another advantage of the present invention is that the fuel tank cover assembly has the guide rods grooved/notched just below the interface with the valve body to allow the guide rods to bend or break away under severe impact conditions while maintaining the integrity of the valve and cover. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the fuel tank cover assembly includes a check valve that prevents fuel from exiting the fuel tank through the return line. Still another advantage of the present invention is that the fuel tank cover assembly incorporates the check valve without other major changes to the cover. A further advantage of the present invention is that the fuel tank cover assembly provides a check valve feature in the return line and reduces complexity because the check valve feature is accomplished with the addition of one injection molded piece into the return flow path with minimal investment. Yet a further advantage of the present invention is that the fuel tank cover assembly improves performance because the location of the check valve feature is in the cover allowing it to function in the event of a broken guide rod.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood, after reading the subsequent description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.